Swapping skills: Ukiah event hopes to revive sharing of know-how

A large group gathered in Ukiah's Todd Grove Park Saturday to share knowledge, skills and plenty of food.

Hosted jointly by the Mendo Free Skool and Transition Ukiah Valley, the event was the first of what the groups hope will be many more "Skill Shares."

"We're calling this a reskilling event -- for relearning skills that people used to have," said Mary McClanahan-Calvert of Transition Ukiah Valley. "The idea is to do a whole day of sharing."

The day began with morning workshops on knitting and drip irrigation, as well as an introduction on tools for kids given by Sandy Turner.

In the afternoon, others showed attendees how to tie knots in ropes or cook food in a solar oven, and Turner demonstrated how to make hula hoops.

"This is the hard part; I call it the Push of War,'" Turner told 11-year-old Devin McClanahan-Calvert, who helped him make a hula hoop out of 3/4-inch, black irrigation pipe and a plastic connector.

"I tried to find things that were interactive and fun for kids," said Turner, who also gave Devin's sister Aria a primer on socket wrenches and caulking guns.

Ukiah resident Paul Taylor was also on-hand to talk about the idea of Time Bank, a modern way for people to meet their neighbors and share skills.

"We have about 200 people signed into it locally," Taylor said, explaining that users create accounts at TimeBanks.org and describe their skills and availability for tasks such as painting, repairs and even dogsitting.

"We're trying to get more people involved, and for those already involved to take a more active role," he said, adding that for every hour you put in, you "bank" an hour of someone else's time that you can access later.

"It's based on an old Japanese idea of shared time," he said.

McClanahan-Calvert said the groups hope to host more skill shares, and will be hosting a potluck picnic June 30 before that day's concert at Todd Grove Park.

For more information, call 235-9080 or visit http://transitionukiahvalley.org